Although a new product market, tablet users are already proving to be more discerning when web browsing than on traditional PC platforms.

The research, Compuware’s first global study of tablet users’ web experience expectations shows that tablet users are accustomed to seeing websites load flawlessly – regardless of the platform.

"Consumers and enterprises have embraced tablets in large numbers for everything from web browsing and social networking to mission critical business applications that increase employee productivity and drive revenue," said Steve Tack, CTO of Compuware application performance management.

"However, based on the survey results, companies are not meeting tablet users’ web experience expectations. Tablet users represent a coveted audience that in general tends to spend more per order, so organizations that ignore tablet users do so at their own peril."

Compuware’s research, Engaging the Tablet User: What They Expect from Websites, interviewed 2000 tablet users around the world, and reveals that nearly half of these users have experienced some kind of problem when accessing websites.

Worryingly for the owners of these websites is that 46% of those surveyed said that just a single bad website experience will drive them to a competing websites. 35% are less likely to visit the problematic web site on any platform, and 33% are less likely to purchase from that company.

Nearly half of tablet users will retry a web site only once or twice if it did not work initially.

Of these users, 70% expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less, and two thirds expect it to load just as quickly on a tablet as on a desktop or laptop PC.

The most common issues reported are slow load times (66%), followed by site crashes (44%), problems with site functions (42%), and issues with site format (40%).

These expectations have been shaped in part by powerful PCs with fast wired networks, delivered by Internet leaders like Amazon and Google which are committed to delivering fast sites – no matter the platform.

The fact that some companies have not optimised or adapted their websites to work on tablets or smartphones may prove problematic for businesses. See CBR’s story on Google’s GetMo campaign here http://www.cbronline.com/news/google-pushes-getmo-to-drive-mobile-website-adoption-14-03-12

Given Apple’s iPad 3 launched last week, many website operators and app developers will be frantically working on new versions of their interfaces to take advantage of the devices new super hi-res ‘retina display’. Operating at 2,048 x 1,536, this is far higher than what most desktop monitors operate at – a certainly far beyond most website resolutions. Given the original iPad was the catalyst for creating the tablet market, whether this new iteration drives webpage development further is yet to be seen.

Key findings:

  • Almost 70% of tablet users expect a website to load in two seconds or less
  • More than two-thirds of tablet users expect websites to load just as quickly, or quicker, than on a desktop/laptop computer
  • Four out of ten tablet users have experienced website problems
  • Slow load times are the most frequently cited issue (66%), followed by site crashes (44%), problems with site functions (42%), issues with site format (40%)
  • Nearly half of tablet users will retry a website only once or twice if it did not work initially
  • A bad website experience will also drive 46% of tablet users to competitive web sites; 35% are less likely to visit the problematic web site on any platform; and 33% are less likely to purchase from that company